Bellevue Library
3pm-6pm
115 Atlantic St SW
&
Parkside/Mayfair
3pm-6pm
650 Kenilworth Ter NE
Chinatown/Wah Luck House
10am-1pm
800 6th St NW
&
Anacostia
3pm-6pm
1500 Galen St SE
Edgewood
3pm-6pm
Evarts St NE & Edgewood St NE
&
Oxon Run Park
3pm-6pm
Wheeler Rd SE & Valley Ave SE
Deanwood
10am-1pm
48th St NE & Minnesota Ave NE
&
Fort DuPont
10am-1pm
4403 Bowen Rd SE
Arcadia launched its Mobile Market in 2012, as a rolling farm stand stocked with locally, sustainably grown foods including fruits and vegetables, herbs, pastured eggs, grass-fed and pastured beef, pork, organic milk, cheese, handmade bread and honey.
The Mobile Market has sold more than $1.4 million in affordably priced, high-quality local fresh food in under-resourced neighborhoods in Washington, D.C. since 2012. The significance of this figure is not just the sales but what it represents: the growing and barely scratched surface of the demand for fresh healthy food in resource-constrained neighborhoods that suffer a disproportionate rate of chronic diseases that correlate strongly to the food to which these neighborhoods do -- and do not -- have regular access.
The Mobile Market makes regular weekly stops in low-food access neighborhoods and accepts and doubles the face value of food stamps (SNAP, WIC, and Senior FMNP). The neighborhoods we serve typically have high SNAP usage, low car ownership, and are at least a mile from a grocery store that can support a healthy diet.
In testament to the success of the model, SNAP customers have increased the amount of food they take home from an average of $8 per transaction in 2012 to $20 per transaction in 2019. In 2020, during the pandemic markets, the average SNAP sale value was nearly $50 per transaction. Our sales have increased by almost 500 percent over six seasons with almost no marketing budget – just customer word of mouth.
The Mobile Market is not just about food access. It also supports the local farm economy. Arcadia grows much of the food on the Mobile Market but we also purchase food at wholesale prices from other farmers to resell. This diversifies their businesses and gives them new customers in a market at no risk that they would not otherwise reach. The Mobile Market represents more than $1 million in wholesale revenue for local farms.
The remarkable effectiveness of the Mobile Market is attributable to our high quality food, excellent customer service, affordable prices, and locations that are convenient to people with limited incomes.
Equally important, strong sales at the Mobile Market demonstrate the growing and unmet demand for healthy food in low-income neighborhoods. Year over year increases in sales subvert the pernicious idea that low-income people don’t support healthy food retail. We have demonstrated every year since 2012 that if the food is high quality, conveniently available, and affordable, customers will flock to it regardless of income.
Visit www.arcadiamobilemarket.org
Email mobilemarket@arcadiafood.org
Social instagram
Arcadia is committed to sharing best practices, and to helping other mobile market programs get on the road.
2022 Market Report:
2021 Market Report:
2020 Market Report:
2019 Market Reports:
2019 General Mobile Market Report
2019 Mobile Market Report - Ward 7
2019 Mobile Market Report - Ward 8
Archived Market Reports:
2012 Mobile Market “How To” Guide | 1st Year Report is available for free download here.
Arcadia’s Mobile Market 2nd Year (2013) | Follow-Up Report is available for free download here.
Arcadia’s Mobile Market 3rd Year (2014) Report is available for free download here.
Arcadia’s Mobile Market staff are also available for one-on-one telephone consultations. If you or your organization requires further information and insight into the launching and operations of a mobile market, please feel free to email the contact below.
Mobile Market Staff at Mobilemarket@arcadiafood.org
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